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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
I seen the a link to Josh's Goody Bags on a different thread: http://thesandiegomagician.com/giveaways-goody-bags/ Wow that really got my attention. I like how his marketing material is on the bags. But next I thought "But how about when the bags are thrown away?" So I was thinking about using something different hold the goodys to replace the bags that kids would like to treasure longer. A magic hat is the first I thought of. Have the marketing label on the magic hat. Have the magic hat full of goodys. Select different colors of magic hats. Paper hats will be to flimsy. Plastic magic hats will play a strong role. I am sure the fee will be more than the bags. But do you think plastic magic hats will be a good investment?
P.S. How do you spell goody/goodie? |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Mike
Are you a magician or a huckster? If you want more money get a better show and charge more to do it.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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Skip Way Inner circle 3771 Posts |
Jeff Jones uses fuzzy cloth rabbit pouches embroidered with his marketing information as party bags. I don't recall the exact cost, but believe it was somewhere around $3-$4 per bag filled. Definitely something that clients were likely to keep as a keepsake. Jeff also offers a plastic top hat with a color oval lid that fit inside the brim with his market info - cost around $3-$4 filled. Eddy Wade included a T-shirt with his information in his party bags. I focus my in-party marketing more on Eddy Wade's Mommy Pack - my pack includes fridge magnet, dry-erase magnetic babysitter guide, and party referral slips among oter items. Think outside of the bag...
How you leave others feeling after an Experience with you becomes your Trademark.
Magic Youth Raleigh - RaleighMagicClub.org |
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-06-23 11:07, Skip Way wrote: LOL |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-06-23 10:54, Al Angello wrote: Despite your being dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming, BOR sale and upsells are pretty common in many entertainment venues. Have you ever heard of Disneyworld?
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Michael
I do BOR at libraries, public shows, when I busk, at community celebrations, and festivals, but hawking your wares at house parties for mom's on a budget is a bad idea. The in your face infomertial approach is far to crass for my taste.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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Donald Dunphy Inner circle Victoria, BC, Canada 7563 Posts |
Keep in mind that most (normal) people don't attempt to do BOR at birthday parties. They do upselling at the time they make the booking. Upselling and BOR are different.
BTW, I'm not really thrilled with the concept of including 10 goodie bags for free for a birthday mom, but they have to buy extras if their party happens to have more than 10 kids. It puts undue pressure on the customer when it comes to upselling. I would rather include all of the items for free (as a part of the package), or upsell all of the items. That's just my personal opinion. - Donald
Donald Dunphy is a Victoria Magician, British Columbia, Canada.
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Gordyboy Loyal user British Columbia, Canada 216 Posts |
I also do Goody Bags but don't include any free ones in any package, they're always an upsell. Last time I assembled them they cost me close to $3 and I sell them for $7, but if you purchase the Ultimate Magic Show (I have Basic, Deluxe and Ultimate) you get a discount on the goody bags down to $5, or sometimes I'll do $5 for repeat customers or if I just feel enough price resistance but still want to make the $2 per bag I sell. I think the biggest selling point is the fact that the customer only pays for as many as they need the day of the party, and they don't end up with leftover bags or portions. Some things they might purchase come in a package of 10, some things in a package of 12, so if they need 14 goody bags they're going to have to purchase extra stuff.
I agree with Donalds statement, if I include 10 free ones and they're expecting 14 children, it does put undue pressure on the customer to purchase another 4. Most of my stuff comes from Rhode Island Novelty, including the cloth bags. Since I'm in Canada, my costs are higher than they would be in the US (postage and duty kills). You can see the contents of mine here... http://www.birthdaymagic.ca/Extras.html |
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shomemagic Inner circle Missouri 2232 Posts |
Im with Al on this regarding Birthday shows..Most people around here are doing the best to have entertainment at their childs birthday party and trying to sell extras is usually not something they want to do..They have cake and ice cream for the kids and the entertainment is all they can do....
I would like to know more about what items different magicians offer for BOR for the venues they would be great for? |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Mike my friend
I like the way you think. Here's a priceless item. Don't take my word all you gotta do is read Kevin's reviews, and with your cool new cartoon logo on the cover you will have yourself a real money maker. Forget about this penny anti stuff, not enough bang for the buck. I'll PM you with some other hot items too. If you buy smartly at your next library show or community celebration your BOR could double your fee. http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......um=44&66
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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Michael Baker Eternal Order Near a river in the Midwest 11172 Posts |
Quote:
On 2013-06-23 13:00, Donald Dunphy wrote: I agree that BOR and upselling are two different things. I also agree that BOR sales are not best for home parties. They should (IMO) be reserved for either public, or corporate/civic/institution backed events, and always with the client's previous consent. I also agree that there should be a consistency to any upsell items, but there is surely to be some gray area there from time to time. If the give-aways are included in the fee, there should be an "up to" number of some kind. If there are 10 kids and 14 show up, it is not a huge deal to just throw in the extras, as long as they are minimal expense goodie bags. But, assuming there will be 10 kids and 30 kids show up, could cut the profits considerably. It might take some thought to make this work well most of the time. Al, I was not trying to be insulting... sorry if I came across that way. But in fairness, I don't think offering a couple of different show packages is crass infomercialism. Of course to some moms (or dads) it would be a stretch of the budget to have to purchase these "add-ons". But there are plenty of them who would welcome the convenience of not having to acquire all that themselves... assuming they had already planned to do such a thing. The convenience offered is that the magician is in a position to "power buy" supplies. He can justify buying a gross or more of any one item. A mom may not even know where to look for singles of such things. Again... BOR sales are not good for these kinds of parties, and I agree, that would be crass. If I were a customer, I'd begin to wonder how much of the time I'd purchased was being used to entertain and how much was being used for self-promotion, and dinging the rubes.
~michael baker
The Magic Company |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Michael
We have been friends too long for me to start acting funny tonight. When the time comes to whip out my BOR stuff I jump, but until then I will KISS. I get $XXX to perform a 45 minute show, and I can make minimum wage whipping up those goody bags. Michael I would far rather make the $XXX take a few bows, and I'm out the door. Let younger men than me scoop up that minimum wage goody bag money.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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Gordyboy Loyal user British Columbia, Canada 216 Posts |
Al, I agree with most of what you say, you're right that the Goody Bags on their own don't bring in a lot of money, but the way I look at it is that having Goody Bags is just one more service I can provide and that might be enough to help me book a few more shows (actually, from experience I know it is). Looking at the big picture, it helps my bottom line and makes more happy customers. One day I may decide it's not worth the effort.
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Mike Maturen Inner circle Michigan's Beautiful Sunrise Side 2726 Posts |
Really Al?!?!?!? Mike is an excellent magician and VERY well-thought of in the Detroit area. Many magicians put together "extras" to upgrade their packages. It's no different than BOR sales after a show.
Quit being so curmudgeonly! (said with the greatest of respect and love, of course!) Quote: On 2013-06-23 10:54, Al Angello wrote:
Mike Maturen
World of Wonder Entertainment The Magic and Mayhem of Mike Maturen 989-335-1661 mikematuren@gmail.com AUTHOR OF "A NEW DAWN--Weekly Wisdom From Everyday Life" member: International Magician's Society |
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JoshLondonMagic Special user 675 Posts |
Dynamite, I'd be cautios about doing magic hats (of the plastic variety) because they'd be difficult to transport from show to show. The bags pack flat and the kids take home my magic book and Funny Money with my info on it so I'm not too concerned about them not knowing who they just saw.
I would have hoped that folks gave me more credit and know that I know the difference between BOR and add ons. I only do BOR at corporate events, libraries, schools, etc. and never ever birthday parties. Now add ons, that's a different ball game. For birthday parties it is true if you get my Platinum package you get 10 free goody bags and magic books. If you want extra they're $5 and you only pay for what you use. Not quite sure why this is a bad idea because I provide huge value for my customers who don't want to stuff goody bags and don't know what to put in them and don't want extra supplies left over. For Al's comment about it being a minimum wage job, that's not a correct assumption. This weekend I did 7 shows, 6 of them were platinum shows and I ended up selling an extra 40 bags making another $200 for an hour of work on Friday. Not too bad if you ask me. It's a way I can increase my income and this happens virtually every weekend. Of course some weekends are slower than other and some aren't. From the get go of the customer reaching out to me to book me it is made very very very clear that you get 10 goody bags and books for free, if you want extras they are $5 each. There is absolutely no surprise. In fact the #1 question I'm asked is "what if I need more goody bags?" A week before the show I send out an email making sure we're all set and if they booked the platinum show I ask if they need extra goody bags and if so how many and reiterate that they are $5. I have never ran into a problem with this and don't see the concerns above as a threat to my bottom line. I am no different than McDonalds asking "do you want fries with that?" Plus if they don't want goody bags they can get the Gold show. And I even have people who ask for the platinum with no goody bags and I knock off $25 for that. I never ever try to sell goody bags to people who want the gold show. It is very clear from my website and when the talk with me what they get. Furthermore, the goody bags provide huge benefits than no goody bags to which I've mentioned in other threads. If 30 kids show up I sell the extra goody bags at half off so instead of $100 extra it's only $50 extra. One time I had a show for over 50 kids and they wanted extra goody bags. When I'm setting up I am chatting with the mom and ask how many kids there are and if there's more than 10 I always ask again if they'd like to pay for the extra bags. Long story short there is no surprise and it is very clear what you get when you book me. Plus it adds to my bottom line and increases my income. If you have any specific questions please feel free to PM me. Josh
Josh
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Danny Kazam Inner circle 1516 Posts |
I agree with both Al and Mike. Even though they see it both different ways, I can see where both are coming from.
For some, selling merchandise is a means to either supplent their income, or a way to make money on top of their satisfied wage. Some find the time not worth it altogether, and find the time put into it not worth the return. I've contemplated using merchandise myself, but currently over offer giveaways that has my advertisment and contact info. I also give out photo's. After many of my stage shows I go down to meet as many kids as I can. I used to get asked for autographs but have nothing to write on or with. I decided to print off 5x7 pictures of me with advertising and contact info. When someone would ask for an autograph, I had something to sign on. Now, I give out many of them at my stage shows. One child see's me signing one, and others want one. The advertising is well worth it to me. I got many birthday out of my stage shows at school's, fundraisers, and special events. I even got other stage bookings from it.
Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.
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JoshLondonMagic Special user 675 Posts |
Very nice idea Danny.
I suppose the concept of goody bags and add ons and BOR varies from magician to magician. The only way to see if you'll like it is to try it. If it doesn't work it doesn't work for you, but it might work for someone else. Josh
Josh
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gmsmagic1 Elite user 405 Posts |
My situation is a little different in that I'm a DJ/Magician, and often get hired out for older kids parties since I often provide dance activities and games in addition to magic. But my general approach to party favors still has relevance here, regardless of the age group or type of show you do.
I personally am not a huge advocate for goody bags since they serve no purpose at the actual party and make me feel like a peddler. Instead, "as a convenience and service" to the host of the party who may be looking to buy favors regardless, I offer to package in specific favors at wholesale rates that compliment the actual activities I'll be doing at the party. This way I'm taking a consultative approach rather than a sales approach. I mean, who better to recommend the favors than the person that is running the party and knows exactly what will contribute to the parties success? In other words, I personally feel that the ideal party favor is something that the kids can actually use at the party as opposed to something that either needs to be handed to them as they walk out the door or something that may become a distraction. For example, If I'm doing a conga line where the kids will be going under a limbo stick while being sprayed with bubbles, I might suggest leis or glow necklaces, tambourines and/or maracas. I would never hand out noise makers if there is still more magic to come, so this is typically for creating a festive mood upon the conclusion of the magic before transitioning into dancing or dessert. But for most of you that are strictly magicians, I've seen things like inflatable magic wands that David Kaye sells on his web site (http://sillymagic.com/funnywandsandprops.htm), which are practical since you can hand them out during the show and have all the kids wave their wands whenever the magic needs to happen. And since you can buy them in bulk or even have your company name printed on them, there is profit to be made and marketing to be gained. I also suggest reaching out to companies like Sherman's and Rhode Island Novelty and setting up a wholesale account so that you can get huge discounts on favors in bulk. When I do bar/bat mitzvahs, the mothers actually really appreciate me taking this burden off of them, and since I get this stuff at wholesale rates, I'm actually able to save the client a ton of money (that they would have spent regardless) and still make a huge profit. Without exaggeration, on larger events, I often make as much as $400 just off the party favors. But you haven't heard the best part yet! Guess who is often the last person to leave upon the conclusion of these larger events? Me of course if I have to break down my DJ equipment. So here's the crazy part... I would be willing to bet that at least 30% of the favors get left behind. So who collects them up after everyone has left and before the cleaning crew trashes them? - me! I then turn around and keep recycling the same party favors by selling them all over again to my next client! I don't think you will get this benefit out of goody bags. Now when the client watches all the videos of the party afterwards, guess what they see... all their guests having a great time using the party favors you provided. So everyone is happy. One last comment regarding splurging on custom printing to market yourself on favors. Make sure you only do this on things that the client will actually want to keep. Hats are by far the most common favor left behind unless it's a small party, so printing your info on those or on goody bags will often be money spent on something that ends up in the trash the same night! In contrast, little kids will keep magic wands or inflatables. But in the end, throwing a great show and handing out plenty of business cards will always be your best marketing tool! - Gary |
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Dynamike Eternal Order FullTimer 24148 Posts |
Wow, this thread gives support to much interesting information that involves marketing with goody materials.
http://thesandiegomagician.com/giveaways-goody-bags/ http://www.prestomagicproducts.com/insta......booklet/ http://www.wademagicproducts.com/MommyPack.html http://www.magicnc.com/Magician_JEFF_JON......ies.html (half way down) Does Jeff Jones sell instructions of how to put the kit together? http://sillymagic.com/funnywandsandprops.htm Jumbo Inflatable Wand I was not expecting BOR sales to be included in this thread. But by putting everything together, I am glad it was included. I tried doing BOR sales in the 90's. I did received complaints because I tried doing it without permission, or got so many declines when I asked permission in advance. I will feel more confident with the links above. I will also feel more confident because I will only offer it at the right venues from what was discussed in previous post. I am interested in the goody bags not because I want to sell anything at a child's house birthday party. But to help generate more sells by having my marketing material inside of more houses as kids use them for fun. I already have 3 general magic act packages to offer. I can add a 4th package with a higher fee that will include goody material. The economy is still below average. It would be wrong for me to sit down and do nothing while complaining about it. It is time for me to get off my butt and get busy with marketing by using goody material. Quote:
On 2013-06-23 10:54, Al Angello wrote: What is wrong with doing both? I add an extra magic show package. It requires more in the show. Goody material is included at $7 per set. I charge $75 extra more than my highest package. Or I can give out the first 10 goody material sets for free, but charge $145 more than my highest magic package. Quote:
On 2013-06-23 22:57, Danny Kazam wrote: Having an pre-autographed signed photo with contact sounds like a great idea to include with goody material too. Quote:
On 2013-06-23 23:24, gmsmagic1 wrote: I would recommend passing out the hats full with the goody material as each child's leave, not in the middle of the party. |
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Al Angello Eternal Order Collegeville, Pa. USA 11045 Posts |
Mike
There's nothing wrong with picking up a couple extra bucks, I am just opposed to working hard for small change. If you are cool with that go for it amigo.
Al Angello The Comic Juggler/Magician
http://www.juggleral.com http://home.comcast.net/~juggleral/ "Footprints on your ceiling are almost gone" |
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